Manual film wind thumbwheel for camera

Abstract

A manually rotatable film wind thumbwheel for a camera comprising a peripheral series of interdental spaces having a uniform pitch, is characterized in that a continuous series of finger-receiving indentations is located adjacent the peripheral series of interdental spaces and has a uniform pitch which is greater than the uniform pitch of the interdental spaces to permit the finger-receiving indentations to be more easily fingered than the interdental spaces to manually rotate the thumbwheel, whereby the interdental spaces can be used as locking spaces which individually receive a film metering pawl of the camera to arrest the thumbwheel and/or an anti-backup pawl to prevent counter-rotation of the thumbwheel.

I claim: 
     
       1. A manually rotatable film wind thumbwheel for a camera comprising a peripheral series of interdental spaces having a uniform pitch, is characterized in that: a continuous series of finger-receiving indentations is located adjacent said peripheral series of interdental spaces and has a uniform pitch which is greater than the uniform pitch of the interdental spaces to permit said finger-receiving indentations to be more easily fingered than the interdental spaces to manually rotate said thumbwheel, whereby said interdental spaces can be used as locking spaces which individually receive a film metering pawl of the camera to arrest said thumbwheel and/or an anti-backup pawl to prevent counter-rotation of the thumbwheel.   
     
     
       2. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein each one of said finger-receiving indentations extend peripherally inward of respective ones of said interdental spaces on said thumbwheel. 
     
     
       3. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein the relationship in quantity between said finger-receiving indentations and said interdental spaces is a ratio of at least 1:2 respectively. 
     
     
       4. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein the uniform pitch of said finger-receiving indentations is at least twice the uniform pitch of the interdental spaces and each one of the finger-receiving indentations spans at least respective pairs of the interdental spaces. 
     
     
       5. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein said interdental spaces are substantially narrower and radially shallower than said finger-receiving indentations. 
     
     
       6. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein the total number of said interdental spaces is a natural number multiple of at least two times the total number of said finger-receiving indentations. 
     
     
       7. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 1, wherein said interdental spaces define individual peripheral teeth between respective pairs of the interdental spaces, and said finger-receiving indentations define individual peripheral teeth between respective pairs of the finger-receiving indentations. 
     
     
       8. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 7, wherein said peripheral teeth which said finger-receiving indentations define are peripherally aligned on said thumbwheel with said peripheral teeth which said interdental spaces define. 
     
     
       9. A film wind thumbwheel as recited in claim 7, wherein each one of said finger-receiving indentations spans at least respective pairs of said interdental spaces to make said peripheral teeth which the finger-receiving indentations define be partly coextensive with every other one of said peripheral teeth which the interdental spaces define. 
     
     
       10. A camera comprising a housing, a manually rotatable film wind thumbwheel including a peripheral series of interdental spaces located partially inside and partially outside said housing and having a uniform pitch, and a film metering pawl located inside said housing, is characterized in that: said film metering pawl is urged into individual ones of said interdental spaces inside said housing to arrest said thumbwheel; and   said thumbwheel includes a continuous series of finger-receiving indentations located adjacent said peripheral series of interdental spaces and having a uniform pitch which is greater than the uniform pitch of the interdental spaces to permit said finger-receiving indentations to be more easily fingered outside said housing than the interdental spaces to manually rotate said thumbwheel.   
     
     
       11. A camera as recited in claim 10, wherein an anti-backup pawl is urged into individual ones of said interdental spaces inside said camera to prevent counter-rotation of said thumbwheel. 
     
     
       12. A camera as recited in claim 11, wherein each one of said finger-receiving indentations spans at least respective pairs of said interdental spaces.